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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25162102">Second Best</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/normanfuckingrockwell/pseuds/normanfuckingrockwell'>normanfuckingrockwell</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Cassian and Din are cousins because I thought that would be cool, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Slow Build</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:54:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25162102</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/normanfuckingrockwell/pseuds/normanfuckingrockwell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jyn had known without a doubt that the Universe had been out to get her. First, she’d been forced to learn the atrocities that made up American history in order to satisfy some lame public school requirement. Next, she had to deal with the uncomfortable shift in the relationship she had with her best friend, Cassian. Then, to top everything off, his extremely attractive cousin, Din, decided to pop buy with a devastating announcement. Devastating to Jyn at least. The Universe just seemed to love messing around with her life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso, I PROMISE there's gonna be gay pairings later on, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Leia Organa/Han Solo (mentioned), Qi'ra/Han Solo, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Omera (Star Wars)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Second Best</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first fic sorta lol anyway there will be a longer note at the end</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>American history was probably the most depressing, soul sucking topic Jyn had ever been subjected to learn in all her years of schooling. It was just another reminder of how downright awful people could be, and Jyn wasn’t very eager to have to sit through a whole lecture about it five days out of the week much less take it home to study over the weekend. So, it came as no surprise that she failed another one of Mothma’s weekly quizzes, and it became a new weekly ritual to burn up every returned quiz with a big fat D or F marked on it under the bleachers during lunchtime. Jyn liked to think of it as self care. <br/>	“Wouldn’t it be more helpful if you used that quiz to study for the next one?” Cassian asked as he watched Jyn eagerly rummage through her backpack for a lighter. Cassian was one of Jyn’s most responsible friends, and of course old people like Mothma just loved that about him, but Jyn often found his responsibility and maturity to be annoying. He was good at ruining all of the fun. <br/>	Jyn scoffed at Cassian’s remark as she finally got a hold on her lighter. She happily watched as her second failing quiz of the month started to burn away. The smell of burning paper became such a comforting smell that never failed to put a smile on her face. <br/>	“There’s no point in studying for the next one, Cassian. I’ve already decided to accept my fate of retaking this class in the summer. Maybe Bodhi will fail the class and be my summer school buddy.” Jyn said with a playful smile and watched as Cassian opened a bag of his favorite hot chips. She swiftly reached over to grab one earning her a light smack on the wrist from him. <br/>	“I don’t share food with people who light their quizzes on fire. Anyway, it’s only November, you still have time to pass before finals. I can help you.” Cassian said while pretending to not notice Jyn snagging a handful of chips from his bag. Cassian was always offering Jyn a helping hand, of course she was grateful, but why would she voluntarily spend time learning about the horrible atrocities American history has to offer? <br/>	“No, I’m good. If I wanted to pass this class, I would, but American history is stupid and I think Mothma is out to get me anyways. You wouldn’t be able to see it though. You’re one of her favorites, so you’re blind.” Cassian let out a small laugh once hearing her response. His laugh was a very familiar sound, but Jyn always felt a bit proud to be able to make him let one out. She’d never let him know that though. Jyn didn’t like giving men the satisfaction of knowing she purposely did something to please them, even if that man happened to be one of her closest friends.<br/>	“You know, not everyone is out to get you, Jyn. Maybe Mothma just pushes you to do better.” There Cassian went again, with his responsibility crap. Sure, he was making a valid point, but Jyn didn’t like giving men the satisfaction of being right. <br/>	“Ugh, you’re starting to sound like my dad.” Jyn replied as she tossed the small remainder of the quiz onto the ground and stomped the small fire out. “Anyway, my parents are off to visit my grandma in Ireland, and they aren’t coming back until next week, want to come over to my place tonight?” There was a small pause from Cassian. He was making a somewhat startled face like a deer caught in headlights. Jyn sort of thought that was a cute look on him, but of course she’d never tell him that. Cassian was just a good friend, nothing more nothing less. Besides, it wasn't normal to think that friends could be cute? Jyn wasn’t blind. <br/>The little slip up was fast, but Jyn was still able to detect the uneasiness in his face. Cassian had started avoiding eye contact by pretending to be focused on his phone. Ever since junior year had begun, there was a slight shift in their relationship. Jyn couldn’t quite place her finger on exactly what had happened, but she knew for a fact something had shifted between them. Cassian wasn’t as open with her anymore, he was more careful choosing his words when talking to her, and he always made sure to keep a distance between them, he avoided touching her like she was some sort of plague. It didn’t sit well with Jyn, but she had decided to ignore it until Cassian brought it up, that is, if he ever would. <br/>	“Actually,” Cassian began, forcing himself to sound as calm and casual as possible, “I can’t come over tonight. Din’s coming over to the house for a quick visit so I’ve got to be there. Maybe tomorrow, though. Bodhi can come too.” Jyn didn’t really care for whatever else Cassian was saying, once she heard him say Din nothing else mattered. Din Djarin was Cassian’s unbelievably good looking older cousin who was already off studying at some hard to get into college. He was probably studying to become a doctor or maybe even a lawyer. Jyn wasn’t entirely sure what Din was doing in college, but knowing him he was most likely on the track to working in some selfless field like any great man would. Din was probably one of the greatest men Jyn would ever know, and she had a firm belief that great men were a rarity nowadays. <br/>	“Din’s coming over,” Jyn started to say, making sure she also sounded as calm and casual as possible. “That’s cool, he hasn’t visited in a while. I’m sure you’ll all be excited to see him. I guess I’ll just stay at home and try not to burn all of my ramen again.” Hopefully, that didn’t sound too desperate but still gave Cassian a hint. Cassian wasn’t dumb when it came to people, in fact he was pretty good at reading people’s subtleties, but he was still a boy. Boys would never fully understand or be able to pick up the underlying messages girls sent their ways, Jyn knew that for a fact. <br/>	“So, do you want to come over after school?” Cassian finally asked after a good minute of silence. Did it really take him that long to pick up what Jyn had been hinting at? Whatever, it didn’t matter. Jyn had gotten the invitation she had wanted and was satisfied. Cassian couldn’t ever know about how she had felt for his cousin, so hopeful she didn’t just make her feelings obvious. Jyn felt like that’d be a bit weird, almost as if she were breaking some unspoken rule the two had shared. They had never talked to each other about crushes or things like that, it just wasn’t ever something that’d come up between them. Jyn wasn’t sure if that was on purpose or not, but she still stuck to keeping that topic off limits anyway. Besides, Din was Cassian’s cousin and having to hear her gush about how cute and amazing he was wasn’t something Cassian would be too thrilled about. <br/>	“You want me to come over?” Jyn said, failing to suppress a big smile. She was really hoping Cassian wouldn’t catch on. “I’ll meet you after last period and we can walk together.” <br/>	“Okay, sounds good.”<br/>____________________</p><p>“You know my mom doesn’t think you and I should be friends.” Bodhi said to Jyn as they quietly walked through the school hallways trying not to attract any attention. <br/>“Why’s that?” <br/>“She says you’re a bad influence.” he responded with a smile plastered onto his face making Jyn giggle. Maybe she could be somewhat of a bad influence on Bodhi, but then again that could be said for all of his friends. If anything, Jyn was a saint compared to Han and Lando. Now they were the ones getting Bodhi into trouble, but of course Jyn was used as the scapegoat. It made sense, as she was one of two friends Bodhi’s mom knew by name. The second being Cassian, but of course Mr. Responsibility was never going to be blamed. According to Jyn, that was just another double standard being imposed onto her. “I guess you are a bad influence for forcing me to ditch PE again.” Jyn rolled her eyes and bumped Bodhi with her hip as they continued to walk out of the building toward the outdoor classrooms. <br/>“Forcing you? I think you were the one who suggested it today, Bodhi.” Jyn shot back teasingly. <br/>“True, but I wouldn’t have gotten so comfortable ditching class if it weren’t for you.” <br/>“I think we can see this as a positive instead of a negative. I’m helping you grow confidence, and I think your mom would be happy to hear that.” Jyn joked as the two made their way into the empty unisex restroom. The outdoor section of their school was for the art and science classes, but more importantly had the almost always guaranteed to be empty unisex restrooms. The perfect place to hide out while ditching a class, something Jyn was all too accustomed with. “So, are you going to Cassian’s afterschool?” <br/>“Yeah, he invited me over. I have a track meeting after class, but I don’t mind if you guys walk without me. I’ll probably go home for a quick shower anyways.” Bodhi responded as he began taking homework assignments out of his backpack. Even when they ditched a class, Bodhi would make it seem as if they had to be doing some type of school work. That was just his good boy ways, and it’d probably be best if Jyn did the same, but she had no intentions of spending her well deserved free period doing homework. <br/>“Did Cassian tell you Din’s coming over?” Jyn asked excitedly. Between Cassian and Bodhi, she always felt more comfortable and way less self conscious talking to Bodhi about boys she was interested in. There was no unspoken rule between them like there was with Cassian which was a huge relief for Jyn. <br/>“Yeah, I know. I went over to Cassian’s yesterday and Din made a quick visit before heading over to his mom’s place. He has a beard now, and trust me you’re going to want to see it. I didn’t think it was possible he could have gotten any better looking than he already was.” Bodhi said giving Jyn a playful nudge on her shoulder. At first, the thought of seeing Din with a beard sounded appealing. Guys with beards were always more attractive than guys without any facial hair, it was practically a scientifically proven thing. But, when Jyn thought more about it, it was just a reminder of how much older Din was compared to her. Sure, there were some seniors Jyn knew like, Lando or Biggs, who had facial hair, but it wasn’t the same. Din could grow a beard because he was not just two or three years older than Jyn, but six years older than her. Din had been in college for four years, pretty much finishing up, while Jyn wasn’t even in her last year of high school. If Din really was the love of her life, of course he didn’t know it because he was too busy doing whatever it is that men six years older than juniors in high school did. He was probably at that point in life where he drank black coffee every morning and actually enjoyed it. Jyn knew she was nowhere near that point in her life not even by a longshot. <br/>“Bodhi, I am dumb for having this huge crush on Din?” Jyn had asked as she watched Bodhi stare at his math problems like the numbers had come from an entirely different solar system. Math had never been his strong suit. <br/>“Well, it’s just a crush. I mean it’s not like you’re actually planning on asking Din out or anything.” Bodhi responded while flipping through his textbook to find a practice problem as reference. <br/>“Those aren’t my intentions, but I have to admit I am head over heels for him. I know that if I saw Din with some other girl I’d probably go crazy with jealousy. Just saying that out loud makes me feel so dumb. He’s six years older than me, of course he won’t think of me as anything other than a kid.” <br/>“If he didn’t that’d be a red flag.” Bodhi said semi jokingly. It was true though, college aged men going after high school girls was never a good thing. Jyn was aware that there were men out there ready to take advantage of girls her age, and left her with a bad taste in her mouth. She still wished that in another life the Universe would be kind enough to allow her and Din to be within the same age range, but of course the world was cruel and things didn’t turn out that way. “Don’t worry about it Jyn, one day you’ll meet a guy your age who’s just as nice as Din is. Besides, don’t you think it’s time to let go of this crush you’ve had since we were twelve? Find a boyfriend in your History class, and maybe he’ll let you cheat off his quizzes.” <br/>“Date a boy from this school? Bodhi, you have to be joking.” Jyn said with a laugh. Bodhi rolled his eyes playfully, pretending not to know just how atrocious the boys of their class could be. <br/>“Jyn, you act like you’re not one of the most unhinged people at this school. Last week, you threw a dodge ball in Han’s face just because he winked at Leia. We weren’t even playing dodgeball that day!” <br/>“Bodhi,” Jyn started to say with the most serious tone she could muster up “I had to throw that dodgeball at Han. It was an act of protecting my good friend from the advances of some grimey senior with a whole ass girlfriend. If I didn’t throw that dodgeball at him, Leia most likely would have anyway. I was simply saving her from a day of detention. Solidarity is a must between us girls, but of course you wouldn’t understand that.” Bodhi threw his head back and laughed in response with Jyn quickly following along.<br/>“Still,” Bodhi said as Jyn continued laughing “I think you should give someone a try. It couldn’t hurt to go out with one guy. Plus, it’ll take your mind off of Din. Why don’t you try going out with Cassian, he’s like the second closest thing to Din with them being related and all.” Jyn immediately stopped laughing once fully registering what Bodhi had suggested. Go on a date with Cassian? Why would Bodhi even say something like that, he had to know Cassian was strictly off limits when it came to dating. He was Jyn’s best friend. How could she ever see him as anything beyond that? Jyn saw the look of regret in Bodhi’s eyes as she started deeply into them with an intense gaze and bright red face. <br/>“Bodhi, Cassian’s like my best friend! It’d be like if he suggested I dated you. God, that’s so weird. Why would I even date Cassian? It’s not like we like each other, he’d never like me and I feel the same. Why can’t a guy and a girl just be friends without people having to suggest they date, anyway?” Jyn said swiftly. She felt all of her words spill out like vomit and knew Bodhi instantly regretted saying anything to her. Jyn felt bad for having such an over dramatic reaction, but something about the idea of dating Cassian Fucking Andor set off a unrecognized feeling in her. It was deep in her stomach, it felt like being sea sick just without the nausea. <br/>“You’re right, I don’t even know why I said that. Just forget that. I mean, you and Cassian are just better off as friends. It’d be so weird if you guys dated. I can’t even picture it. Besides, I heard he has a thing going on with Leia anyway. I guess I should help him with that, right? They’d be a cute couple definitely not like if you and him got together. That’d be an awful pairing, and everyone would agree on that.” Bodhi quickly responded clearly in panic mode. Jyn knew he kept emphasizing just how wrong she and Cassian would be together, but a small part of her was hurt deep down. There was something especially unsettling about hearing Cassian may have feelings for another girl. Obviously, she’d die before saying that out loud, or even to herself. Luckily, right before either of them could say anything else, the bell rang. Bodhi instantly looked relieved and gathered all of his things faster than any normal person would. <br/>“Okay see you later tonight, Jyn!” Bodhi called out as he practically ran out of the restroom. Jyn sighed and began to get up from the floor, hoping Bodhi would be able to put this incident past them before dinner time. <br/>____________________</p><p>Han Solo was a good looking guy, there was no way Jyn could deny that. He was tall, in good shape, and had the fullest head of dark brown hair. Honestly, if it wasn’t for his amazing hair he’d be a 6.5 as opposed to the whopping 8 he currently stood at. At least, that was in Jyn’s humble opinion. Still, despite his good looks, he was probably the most annoying boy to ever walk the earth and his huge ego didn’t help with that one bit. It came as a surprise to Jyn that about 80% of the girls at school went crazy for that guy, but then again any man could get away with practically anything in this world and still be adored, it was just the way the Universe worked. Clearly, Jyn was no fan of the Universe, or Han Solo for that matter. Jyn kept her gaze locked onto him as she waited for Cassian while sitting down on the steps of the school’s entrance. Han was a few miles away in the student parking lot, sitting on the hood of his beat up car while his pretty girlfriend sat on his lap laughing at whatever dumb joke he and Lando had been making. Jyn’s eyes lingered on Han’s girlfriend, whose name was Qira. She went to the nearby Catholic girl’s school which got out about 30 minutes earlier than theirs did, so she’d always walk over to wait for Han while wearing that little uniform Jyn thought was some joke at first, but no she really had to wear that short skirt to school everyday, and yes Han just went wild everytime he’d come out seeing Qira in it. Men couldn’t let anything a woman wear be nonsexualized. Ugh. Still, Jyn couldn’t take her eyes off of the overly affectionate couple. She watched as Qira let Han plant kisses up and down her neck as she giggled like a child. Jyn didn’t even want to admit to herself just how cute they looked together, and wondered if those neck kisses felt as good as Qira made them out to be. She sighed and averted her gaze trying to find something less interesting, but it seemed like everywhere she turned there were hormonal highschool couples making out. Wasn’t there some sort of rule that banned public displays of affection on school grounds? It was like everybody wanted to remind her just how unwanted she was. Unwanted by Din for being a kid. Unwanted by Cassian since she would only ever be seen as a friend. Jyn heard a gasp come out of her mouth at the disbelief that she could possibly be upset over the fact that Cassian, out of all the boys in the world, didn’t want to date her. Of course her best friend didn’t want to date her, that’s why they were best friends. Jyn sighed and began rummaging through her bag hoping she could find the rest of that joint she had lost inside there days prior. She was in desperate need of it. <br/>“Hey, you ready to go?” Jyn heard Cassian ask from behind. She turned and gave him a small, awkward smile. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice she was acting a bit off. <br/>“Do you want to wait for Bodhi to get out of his track meeting?” Jyn quickly blurted out as a response. Cassian gave her a slightly confused look. Shit. <br/>	“He said he was going to head home and shower after his meeting, so it’s fine if we just go without him.” Cassian said not seeming to care all too much about Jyn’s tense energy. Jyn let out a light giggle trying in hopes it’d help get rid of her nerves. This was only Cassian she’d have to be alone with it wasn’t like they never walked home together before. It was really no big deal. Really. <br/>“Yeah, that’s right. I forgot about that. Let’s go.” Jyn said, begging to feel a bit more comfortable. Bodhi had really shaken her up with his silly suggestion. It just came as a big surprise that was all, she would be fine as soon as she entered Cassian’s house.<br/>As the two started to walk away from school, Jyn suddenly became hyper aware of how often her shoulder bumped his, or how close their fingers were to brushing into each other. It seemed as if Cassian was just as aware as they both started to create a good portion of space between each other. While Jyn walked she kept her eyes on Qira and Han until the two were out of sight. Qira had been resting her head on Han’s shoulder prompting him to give her a small kiss on her forehead. It was a sweet sight. The entire walk over to Cassian’s, Jyn wondered just how good Qira must have felt. <br/>____________________</p><p>The silence in Cassian’s room had started to feel absolutely unbearable. As soon as they entered he went straight to doing his homework and Jyn pretended to do the same. What kind of freak invites someone over just to sit in silence and do homework? Jyn should’ve just gone to detention. <br/>“So,” Jyn said, finally breaking the silence between them “heard you and Leia are a thing.” Jyn immediately regretted letting that slip out of her mouth. Completing her history assignments was probably much more pleasant than seeing Cassian’s eyes widen and his shoulders begin to tense up. Of course this was going to be an awkward conversation. The unspoken rule had finally been broken. <br/>“L-Leia? Who said that?” Cassian blurted out while immediately giving his calculus textbook much more attention than before. His cheeks were as red as cherries. It was almost cute. Almost. <br/>“Oh, just something I heard in the locker room today.” Jyn responded as nonchalantly as possible. “Well, are you into her?” <br/>“N-no. No, Leia and I are just friends. I think she’s secretly got a thing for Han, anyway.” Cassian said, still very interested in his homework. Was this a normal reaction for him to be having? Was Cassian being honest with her or just denying his crush on Leia so that he didn’t have to talk to Jyn about it? <br/>“Well, I mean, you guys would be cute together. That’s what other people think, too. She doesn’t have a thing for that grimey Han anyway. She would have told me something. Leia likes nice boys, and you’re a nice boy Cassian.” Jyn said as she made sure her eyes were glued onto Cassian. His hands were shaking a little, and Jyn hadn’t ever seen that before. Maybe Cassian was keeping his feelings away from Jyn, but why would he do that? Weren’t they best friends? <br/>“Then, clearly Leia doesn’t have a thing for me either. Wouldn’t she tell you something by now?” Cassian said now looking right back at Jyn. She held his gaze but wasn’t fully able to make out what he was feeling. Sure, Cassian had been giving off a slight nervous energy, but Jyn wasn’t really sure as to why. <br/>“You look like you need to take a shit.” she finally blurted out causing Cassian to regain the flush on his cheeks. Okay, maybe he did look a little cute when he was nervous, but blush had that effect on everyone. <br/>“What?” he finally said after a moment of silence. Jyn tried suppressing her laughter, but ultimately failed. Cassian sighed (out of relief?) and let out a small giggle (he giggled!) as he playfully shoved Jyn. “You’re so annoying.” <br/>“Whatever.” Jyn said with a smile. Cassian returned the expression. They didn’t even notice how little the space between them was.<br/>___________________</p><p>Jyn heard a car door slam from the outside and butterflies started to fill up inside her. She hadn’t seen Din in about a year and seven months, but who was counting? Jyn wondered just how much she could have changed since that time. Did she look older? Would he even notice? Then again, that didn’t even matter. Stupid age gap. <br/>“Cassian! Ven abajo!” Cassian’s mom had called from downstairs. Jyn felt the hairs on her arm spike up as she heard a familiar, deep voice greeting people from below. It was him. <br/>“I guess Din’s here.” Cassian said as he turned off the game he and Bodhi had been playing and began to head downstairs. Jyn felt stuck in the chair she had been sitting on. What if she was uglier than Din had remembered? What if he had brought a girl home? As Jyn’s head ran wild with thoughts, Cassian and Bodhi stood at the door watching her. “Jyn you okay?” Cassian had asked. Immediately, Jyn snapped out of her thoughts and turned to give Cassian a reassuring smile. <br/>“I’m good. Just a little sleepy.” Jyn got up and began to follow her friends downstairs. She got a peak of Din from above, definitely noticing the beard Bodhi had spoken about earlier. The twinkle in his eyes was the same as always giving Jyn a warm feeling inside. He just had to be one of those guys with twinkly brown eyes and long, curly eyelashes. It was sort of unfair to think that Jyn herself didn’t have those kinds of lashes. All of the good things in life were handed over to boys it seemed. <br/>As Jyn continued making her way down she was able to see more of Din. It felt as if she had to take in the sight of him and savor every glace like she was never going to see him again afterwards. Knowing how unfair the Universe could be it wasn’t that far of a reach. His hair was in the same wavy style he usually kept it in, the kind that was effortlessly tousled without making him look lazy or unkept. Jyn always admired how he was somehow able to keep it that way, or maybe it was just the Universe working its magic. As Jyn let her eyes wander over Din, she couldn’t help but notice what looked to be a fading bruise right over his collarbone. It sort of seemed like he had tried to strategically cover it up with his shirt collar, but since he had left the last two buttons undone the hickey could still be seen. Din Djarin had come and visited his family with a hickey. A hickey! Probably given to him by some beautiful college girl his age. Jyn couldn’t help but wonder just who this girl could be. Was she his girlfriend? Did he love this girl? What if he was planning on marrying her and was going to announce it during dinner? Jyn knew she didn’t have it in her to hear that. Before Jyn could let her thoughts spiral any further, Din turned around to face the staircase. He smiled brightly at all three of them walking down. Just his smile alone was enough to make Jyn’s knees wobble like the kid she was. <br/>“Hi Din.” Jyn heard herself say before Cassian could even greet his own cousin. Obvious much? Bodhi was clearly trying to suppress a giggle as he watched Jyn’s face light up at the sight of Din. She’d have to give him hell for that later. <br/>“Jyn,” he began to say as he walked over to them “how have you been? You’re still as short as when you were in middle school.” Jyn heard just how amplified her laugh at Din’s silly joke was. Bodhi was definitely going to bring that up later. <br/>“What’s that on your neck?” Cassian teased before Jyn could even think of a funny comeback. Of course Cassian had to be the one to point out that stupid hickey on Din’s perfect neck. Seriously, how did this guy make necks look attractive? Din gave Cassian an amused smile in return.<br/>“Wouldn’t you like to know, sucio.” Din said jokingly as he ruffled Cassian’s hair in that cute big brother like way. Fuck the Universe for making him so damn attractive. <br/>“Okay,” Cassian’s mom interjected “time to head over to the table, and Din, I really don’t want for your mom to see that thing on your neck.” She had given Din the same amused smile he had given Cassian. Jyn couldn’t believe she saw Din’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink and just how cute it looked on him. She had to brace herself for a long night. <br/>“Yes, tia.” Din had said as he began to button up the rest of his shirt making Cassian snicker. “Cállate chamaco.” Din let out a small laugh as he walked with them toward the dinner table.  </p><p>____________________</p><p>“Din, tell us about your girlfriend.” one of Cassian’s aunts had said with a big smile. Jyn felt her heart sink into a black hole. So Din did have a girlfriend after all. Really, it came as no surprise, but Jyn was still let down by it. <br/>“Is she pretty?” she had asked without thinking. Some of Cassian’s family members began to laugh and tease Din, taking away any attention from Jyn which she was grateful for. <br/>From the corner of her eye, Jyn could see Bodhi shoot her a teasing look. He was really going to come for her later. <br/>“I think she’s pretty,” Din said after laughing at a joke one of his uncles had made “That doesn’t really matter at the end of the day though.” Of course Din Djarin would say something nice like that. His perfection was starting to get annoying. “Her name is Omera. I met her in an environmental studies class I had to take a few semesters back.” Just how many semesters? <br/>“Do you want to marry her?” Bodhi had asked, pretending to sound as innocent as possible. He clearly wanted to get a reaction out of both Jyn and Din, and it worked. Jyn shot a look Bodhi tried his very best to ignore. Hopefully, no one else had noticed that. The rest of Din’s family had begun to tease him again, making him turn an even brighter shade of pink than before. And yes it was even cuter than the first time Jyn saw him like that. <br/>“I think we’re still too young to be thinking about that.” Din had strategically said since his mother was very much anticipating his response from across the table. “I would be lying if I said I haven’t thought about it though.” Clearly, Din had added that last part for kicks as he gave his mom a big grin and watched as his family reacted to the news. <br/>Jyn tried her best to laugh along at Din’s family’s jokes. It’s not like they weren’t funny, it was just the thought of Din marrying this beautiful woman who was most definitely not Jyn was bringing her down. Maybe Bodhi had been right earlier, maybe Jyn had to start dating high school boys to get over Din. It still sounded like a death sentence. <br/>“Okay, okay enough about my girlfriend,” Din had started to say once everybody had calmed down “Hablemos de la novia de Cassian.” It was apparent to Jyn that he had said that in Spanish on purpose, she just wasn’t sure as to why, but judging by everyone’s reactions it was a very funny remark. Cassian had looked at Din the same startled way he had been looking at Jyn earlier, except his face was even more bright red than before. Whatever Din said must’ve been good. It was at this moment Jyn had regretted not taking Spanish with Bodhi, who had also been very amused by Din’s statement. It was never fun being left out. <br/>“¿Qué novia, Cassian?” Cassian’s mom had asked as she poked at her son’s bright red cheek. Cassian looked as if he was about to die of extreme embarrassment. It was funny seeing him that way, even if Jyn didn’t understand the context of it all. “Din, don’t embarrass him right in front of her.” <br/>“Ella no es mi novia.” Cassian had finally said in between nervous laughter which made everyone else at the table burst out laughing even harder than before. <br/>“What’s so funny?” Jyn had finally asked once everyone had begun to calm down yet again. Then, after Jyn had spoken, another fit of laughter had filled the table. Had they been talking about her? <br/>“They really like you, Jyn.” Cassian finally said once he could muster up the courage to look at her in the eyes. <br/>____________________</p><p>Din spent around thirty minutes and twenty five seconds talking on the phone with his girlfriend outside, but it wasn’t like Jyn had been keeping track of it or anything. Cassian and Bodhi had been too preoccupied with whatever game they were playing in Cassian’s room <br/>while Jyn pretended to be cleaning up her dish in the kitchen. Yes, it was an excuse to see Din enter the room once he was done outside, she wasn’t ashamed to admit that. <br/>“Hi, Din.” Jyn had quickly said as soon as she saw him enter through the glass door. He looked into her eyes and smiled. The fact that Din could make eye contact so casually was just so attractive to Jyn. Of course, he wasn’t thinking of it as deeply as she did. “Were you talking to Omera?” Even asking that hurt her. Din’s smile became warmer once he heard his girlfriend’s name. Okay, that hurt more. <br/>“Yeah, that was her. She always calls me after she gets off work.” Din had said as he sat himself down at the table nearby her. “What are you doing down here by yourself? Bored with Cassian and Bodhi?” Jyn let out a small giggle before turning off the faucet and facing Din. <br/>“Maybe just a little. Hey, what was so funny at dinner earlier? You really got Cassian all wound up.” Jyn asked with a smile trying to look as pretty as effortlessly pretty as possible. Din chuckled a bit and shook his head.<br/>“It was nothing, just a family joke.” Clearly, he didn’t want her to know what he had said. Whatever, she’d just have to extract the information out of Bodhi later. <br/>“How did you know that you love Omera?” Jyn yet again blurted out. She was really starting to make a bad habit out of talking without thinking. She noticed how Din was slightly taken aback by her sudden curiosity, but he quickly shook that off understanding how curious teenage girls could be about those sorts of things. Din was really one of the nicest guys Jyn would ever know. Fuck the Universe for making him what seemed like billions of years older. <br/>“If I’m being honest with you, I don’t think I could pinpoint an exact moment that I had just known. It was just something that built up over time, you know? I guess you could say it was a feeling that developed naturally.” he replied after taking a quick moment to think over his response. It was like he wanted to choose his words wisely, so that Jyn would be able to understand what he had meant, as if he didn’t want to give her some unrealistic expectation to have for the upcoming years. It was the nicest way of being talked to, and Jyn had appreciated every second of it. “What made you want to know?”<br/>Jyn looked down at the floor like it was the most fascinating thing she’d seen in years before giving him a casual shrug and a forced smile. The look in his eyes made it seem as if he had known Jyn was downplaying her feelings in that moment. <br/>“I don’t know, um, I’ve just been wondering lately is all.” she responded while avoiding eye contact. Din nodded his head as if he bought her lousy statement. <br/>“Okay, well, if you ever need to talk about anything I’ll always be here to help you.” Din said, giving her a sweet, brotherly smile. Jyn nodded and made her way back upstairs wondering what exactly she had done in her past lives that pissed the Universe off so much. Din was so obviously the love of her life but the Universe really didn’t seem to care.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I originally uploaded this fic in February but got busy and didn't update it so by the time I looked back at it I realized how much I didn't like it mainly because I knew I could do a much better job. I scrapped the original one and rewrote the entire first chapter from scratch lol but if you read the original one you can see a few of the same dialogue and elements stayed. Anyway I still don't know just exactly how many chapters this will have or how often I'll update but I'm committed to trying much more than before! Another thing I'd like to share is that I didn't edit this so I'll most likely come back and rewrite a few things at some point so it'd be greatly appreciated if ya'll left some constructive criticism! (: Anyway thanks for reading &amp; I hope you enjoy!!! (:</p></blockquote></div></div>
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